


I'm Not Going Anywhere

by 44TayLo



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: M/M, canonical reference to suicidal thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:39:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4813532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/44TayLo/pseuds/44TayLo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>whereevenismyliferightnow asked: YO. For the question meme thingy Hulkeye 32. (I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified.)</p><p>"'Sorry?' Bruce offered. The words were rough with dehydration, and Bruce winced when he saw Clint’s shoulders stiffen even further.<br/>He wasn’t sure, exactly, what he was supposed to be apologizing for. Obviously, he hated seeing Clint in medical when their roles were reversed, as they normally were. Still, that didn’t explain why Clint seemed angry with him."</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Not Going Anywhere

Clint was staring at him with that intense, cold blue focus he used on the field. His mouth was pressed in a thin line and his arms were folded tightly across his chest. If Bruce hadn’t known any better, he’d think Clint was steeling himself for a mission.

“Sorry?” Bruce offered. The words were rough with dehydration, and Bruce winced when he saw Clint’s shoulders stiffen even further.

He wasn’t sure, exactly what he was supposed to be apologizing for. Obviously, he hated seeing Clint in medical when their roles were reversed, as they normally were. Still, that didn’t explain why Clint seemed angry with him.

Silence stretched on between them, interrupted only by the incessant beeping of the heart monitor. It was starting to grate on Bruce’s nerves, that beeping. It’d been a while since the fact that his heart was still beating had been cause for annoyance. Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the situation, but he actually had to stomp down on the urge to chuckle at the thought.

Clint wouldn’t have found it so funny.

It really was a ridiculous situation. Bruce had woken up in medical after a solid month of letting Hulk have the reigns. He hadn’t actually been expecting to wake up to anything, but he also wasn’t prepared to deal with a sullen boyfriend.

A sudden, long sigh brought Bruce’s attention back to the archer. He finally unfolded his arms and sat in the horribly uncomfortable chair at Bruce’s bedside.

“The doctor thinks that the longer Hulk is out, the harder it is on your body when you come back,” Clint stated. His posture was still stiff, and his voice very matter-of-fact.

Bruce nodded. It’d always been like that. He remembered being the Hulk for so long, he wasn’t able to move for hours after he’d regained consciousness.

That admission made Clint’s eyes narrow. He shook his head with a disbelieving huff.

Bruce’s hands tried to wring together of their own accord, making him wince at the pull of his muscles.

Clint noticed. That wasn’t surprising, since that was literally the man’s job description. What was surprising to Bruce was how the hardness in Clint’s eyes fell away. And then the feel of Clint’s calloused hands against the back of his own had him wondering if he’d imagined those five, silent minutes when Clint had seemed so undeniably angry.

“Are you sore?” Clint softly asked. He was already rubbing deeply at the palms of his hands.

Bruce closed his eyes and smushed the side of his face into his pillow.

“Yeah.”

Clint started working on the muscles of his forearm before saying, “You should have told us. About letting the Big Guy out for so long.”

“It’s not like it can kill me, Clint. And I used to deal with it when I was a fugitive. I’m just glad I didn’t wake up naked, this time.”

The soothing hands on his arm stilled, prompting Bruce to open his eyes. Clint looked like he wanted to be angry again, but couldn’t quite manage it. Instead, he seemed exasperated.

“Stop it. You don’t get to justify fucking your body over so badly you sleep for three days straight by saying you’ve had worse. If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re doing the opposite.”

“You know, I hate seeing you in medical, too.”

Clint shook his head. “I’m _supposed_ to get banged up. All I’ve got is my bow, you know? The Hulk’s supposed to keep you safe.”

Bruce sighed. Why was this so hard for Clint to understand? Some things had to be sacrificed or forcibly removed from Bruce’s life when he’d turned into the Hulk. And sometimes, it was his health that had to suffer.

“If Hulk’s needed, he’ll be there, and for as long as he’s needed. I’ll deal with this after, just like the rest of you deal with bruises, scrapes, and broken bones. Something’s gotta give, Clint. No one’s totally invincible.”

They stared at each other in silence before Clint finally nodded. He understood sacrificing your safety to protect others. That, above all things, was what made him a hero. And Bruce knew Clint would drop it if he framed this incident in that light.

Clint began running a hand through Bruce’s hair, scratching at the scalp. Eventually, he moved on to massaging the bit of the man’s neck he could get at.

“I think I’m in love with you, and I’m terrified.”

Bruce waited to see if Clint was going to continue, but he seemed to freeze after forcing out that sentence.

“I love you too, Clint,” Bruce assured him. He’d known that for a while now, but he’d kept it to himself. They’d only been dating for a handful of months, and Bruce hadn’t wanted to scare the other man off.

Clint continued to stare at him in silence, gnawing on his lip.

“It’s alright to be freaked out,” Bruce continued.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Clint interrupted in a strained rush. “You didn’t tell anyone this might happen. I thought something was wrong. I thought you might die. I just, I didn’t know what to think.”

Guilt settled solidly in Bruce’s stomach. He couldn’t stand to look at the wetness of Clint’s eyes. It rattled him to see Clint, sarcastic, easy going Clint, so openly upset.

“To be honest, I thought it’d be in my file,” Bruce admitted.

“Well, it wasn’t,” Clint said. His voice was still rough, though his anger seemed to have finally abandoned him.

The one decent thing about the Avengers medical bay was that the hospital beds were actually big enough to accommodate two people. Bruce forced himself to scoot over, wincing as he did so, and causing Clint to stand up in alarm.

“Lay with me?” Bruce asked, still a bit breathless from his body’s excessive protests to moving.

Clint didn’t hesitate to crawl onto the bed and lie down next to him. When he was finally settled, Bruce lifted his upper body with a grunt and readjusted so his head was pillowed on Clint’s shoulder.

His body shook from just that small amount of exertion, and yeah, okay, Bruce could see why Clint was so worried. God, he really needed sleep. And food. Lots and lots of food.

When Clint’s fingers started trailing gently up and down his arm, Bruce decided sleep was the best immediate option. He nuzzled Clint’s shoulder. Despite what the archer had said earlier, he couldn’t help but feel thankful just to come back to himself somewhere safe. And next to someone he loved.

Before he dozed off he groggily muttered, “’m not going anywhere.”

The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was a gentle kiss on his temple.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and kudos are greatly appreciated!
> 
> Send me prompts on tumblr! My URL is supersecretsciencebrosclub.


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